Some mysteries are buried deep, but they never truly disappear. For the past year, I’ve been immersed in the cold, hard details of a case that’s haunted me since I first started researching it three decades ago. Bringing The Jacklighter to life has been an exercise in reconstruction—sifting through old boxes of evidence, documents, and now thousands of pages...
The Jacklighter
I’m still pinching myself. When I launched the Kickstarter campaign for The Jacklighter: Murder, Betrayal, and Justice in Pennsylvania’s Endless Mountains, I hoped for the best and prepared for the worst. But my Backer Besties came through and fully funded (and then some!) my first Kickstarter campaign 😭😭😭 To every single backer who pledged, shared the campaign, cheered me...
Last week I had the pleasure of joining the legendary Ron Chepesiuk for a full hour on his award-nominated show, Crime Beat—and it was the best conversation I’ve had about The Jacklighter so far. We covered a lot of ground: how I first stumbled onto this story nearly 30 years ago in my husband’s hometown of Montrose, Pennsylvania; why...
What happened to the couple in this photo? This week, I found a photo I forgot I had. It’s a 3½-inch-square, faded color snapshot of a glorious 1968 wedding party—nearly 20 people posed on a sunlit lawn in Binghamton, NY, the bride stunning in white lace and a full veil, the groom beaming beside her. Two flower girls in...
🎧 Win CHAINED BIRDS on Spotify — Plus Get a Free eBook Just for Sharing! I’ve always wanted to do this. 🎉 As an indie author who loves connecting with readers, I’ve dreamed of running contests and giveaways — not just as a one-time thing, but as an ongoing way to celebrate my books and build excitement for what’s...
It’s Day 3 of THE JACKLIGHTER’s pre-launch phase on Kickstarter, and I’m thrilled to report that things are already off to a promising start. 🎉 As of this writing, The Jacklighter is trending #6 out of 206 projects in Kickstarter’s “most popular upcoming nonfiction” publishing category—and I have my fabulous first 11 followers to thank for that early momentum....
The Wait Is Over—THE JACKLIGHTER Is Now LIVE on Kickstarter! It’s happening. 🎉 After months of R&D, THE JACKLIGHTER: Murder, Betrayal, and Justice in Pennsylvania’s Endless Mountains is finally live on Kickstarter, the crowdfunding platform for creatives. This is a FOLLOW Phase … Backing with Pledges & Rewards Comes Next Month! This project, my second true crime book, is...
Looking ahead to 2026, I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be presenting a workshop called True Crime Uncovered at the 39th Annual Pennwriters Conference in Lancaster, PA, May 15-17, 2026! This is a particularly meaningful opportunity for me, as I first attended the conference this past spring as a debut author still finding my way in the publishing world....